WAGERING GAME WITH OVERRIDE AWARD WHEN THRESHOLD IS EXCEEDED

• US 20150269809A1
• Filed: 03/19/2014
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Pamela S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,449,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming method of conducting a wagering game includes receiving, via one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager, displaying, via one or more display devices, a plurality of symbols to indicate a randomly selected outcome of a wagering game in a display area, and determining, via at least one of one or more processors, one or more award amounts for the randomly selected outcome. The one or more award amounts are based on the wager and the symbols of the randomly selected outcome. The method further includes determining an aggregate award amount based on the one or more award amounts, comparing the aggregate award amount to a predetermined threshold amount, awarding the aggregate award amount if the aggregate award amount is less than the predetermined threshold amount, and awarding an override-award amount if the aggregate award amount is greater than the predetermined threshold amount.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method in a gaming system having game-logic circuitry including one or more central processing units and one or more memory devices, the method comprising:

receiving, via one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager;

displaying, via one or more display devices, a plurality of symbols to indicate a randomly selected outcome of a wagering game in a display area;

determining, via at least one of one or more processors, one or more award amounts for the randomly selected outcome, the one or more award amounts being based on the wager and the symbols of the randomly selected outcome;

determining, via at least one of the one or more processors, an aggregate award amount based on the one or more award amounts;

comparing, via at least one of the one or more processors, the aggregate award amount to a predetermined threshold amount;

awarding the aggregate award amount if the aggregate award amount is less than the predetermined threshold amount; and

awarding an override-award amount if the aggregate award amount is greater than the predetermined threshold amount.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the override-award amount is greater than the predetermined threshold amount.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the override-award amount is a maximum award amount for the wagering game.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, via at least one of the one or more processors, the aggregate award amount to the override-award amount; and

awarding the aggregate award amount if the aggregate award amount is greater than the override-award amount, the awarding the override-award amount being in response to the aggregate award amount also being less than the override-award amount.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining player eligibility to receive the override-award amount.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the player eligibility is determined based on whether the wager is a max bet.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the player eligibility is determined based on a turnover amount over a plurality of plays of the wagering game.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the override-award amount is awarded when the aggregate award amount is greater than the override-award amount.

9. A gaming system comprising:

one or more input devices;

one or more display devices;

game-logic circuitry, comprising one or more central processing units and one or more memory devices, the one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more central processing units, cause the game-logic circuitry to;

receive, via at least one of the one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager;

display, via at least one of the one or more display devices, a randomly selected outcome of a wagering game;

evaluate the randomly selected outcome to determine one or more award amounts;

aggregate the one or more award amounts to determine an aggregate award amount;

determine whether the aggregate award amount is greater than a predetermined threshold amount;

if the aggregate award amount is determined to be greater than the predetermined threshold amount, award an override-award amount; and

if the aggregate award amount is determined to be less than the predetermined threshold amount, award the aggregate award amount.

10. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the override-award amount is greater than the predetermined threshold amount.

11. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the override-award amount is a maximum award amount for the wagering game.

12. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the game-logic circuitry to:

determine whether the aggregate award amount is greater than the override-award amount; and

award the aggregate award amount if the aggregate award amount is greater than the override-award amount,

wherein the override-award amount is awarded in response to the aggregate award amount also being not greater than the override-award amount.

13. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the game-logic circuitry to determine eligibility to receive the override-award amount.

14. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein the eligibility is determined based on whether the wager is a max bet.

15. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein the eligibility is determined based on a turnover amount over a plurality of plays of the wagering game.

16. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the override-award amount is awarded when the aggregate award amount is greater than the override-award amount.

17. A computer-implemented method in a gaming system having game-logic circuitry including one or more central processing units and one or more memory devices, the method comprising:

receiving, via one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager;

displaying, via one or more display devices, a plurality of symbols to indicate a randomly selected outcome of a wagering game in a display area;

determining, via at least one of one or more processors, one or more award amounts for the randomly selected outcome, the one or more award amounts being based on the wager and the symbols of the randomly selected outcome;

determining, via at least one of the one or more processors, an aggregate award amount based on the one or more award amounts;

comparing, via at least one of the one or more processors, the aggregate award amount to one or more of a plurality of predetermined threshold amounts, each of the plurality of predetermined threshold amounts being associated with a respective one of a plurality of override-award amounts;

if the aggregate award amount is not greater than at least one of the plurality of predetermined threshold amounts, awarding the aggregate amount; and

if the aggregate award amount is greater than at least one of the plurality of predetermined threshold amounts, awarding the override-award amount associated with the greatest predetermined threshold amount that is less than the aggregate award amount.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of override-award amounts includes N override-award amounts, the Nth override-award being a maximum award amount for the wagering game.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to determine eligibility to receive any of the plurality of override-award amounts.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the eligibility is determined based on whether the wager is a max bet.